Page 4 of Taming the Boss

I resisted the urge to laugh. The man would be my competitor, but I couldn’t help but like him on sight. “Fair assessment.” Arthur Maitland was nearly identical to my father in both style and demeanor. His blazer and suit pants with golf shirt made him seem like he was approachable and affable, but I recognized the shark eyes.

Maitland’s gaze was also locked on the water. He didn’t even give us a cursory glance.

I understood because it was a prime location even if the building itself looked ready for a bulldozer.

“What’s the starting bid?”

Xavier grinned. “It’s a surprise. The bank foreclosed on the building last summer, but it has been tied up in the courts since then. Maitland is drooling for another patch of lakefront property.”

“Why?” I rolled my eyes. “Besides the obvious.”

“He’s been snatching up any properties along the water.” He pointed to the far side of the lake. “Wants to build a resort.”

I frowned. “Crescent Cove doesn’t seem like a resort town. Tourists, sure, but not a resort town.”

Xavier dipped his hands into his pockets. It was an easygoing gesture, but his light eyes sharpened. “Sure you’re not from here?”

“Seattle, actually.”

He whistled. “Long ways away from Washington, friend.”

“I was in the area for…work.”

Xavier arched a brow. “Interesting.” The sound of a car door closing had him glancing over his shoulder. “Oh, now it’s really getting interesting.”

“Why?”

He saluted the man with the oak-colored hair and bespoke suit. “Nice to see ya, Gavin.”

The man gave Xavier a half wave but went over to look into the windows of the old delicatessen.

“Another player?”

“You could say that. Gavin Forrester is a self-made man. I admit to family money, but Gavin is the definition of bootstrapping. Arthur Maitland may own half the waterfront properties, but Gavin Forrester has slowly built his kingdom out of crumbling apartments and old storefronts that were in desperate need of rehabilitation.” He lowered his voice and spoke out of the side of his mouth. “People actually like Gavin in the Cove.”

“So, why is that interesting?”

Xavier grinned. “I like you.”

“I don’t see why that makes any difference to my question.”

He laughed outright and slapped my upper arm. “I really like you now. Refreshing to speak to someone who doesn’t know all the Crescent Cove gossip. The founding families of this town—and Arthur Maitland and I are part of two of them—against the local boy made good. It’s a story for the ages. Extra cherry on top is just how much Gavin hates Maitland.”

“And…Forrester, was it?”

He nodded. “Got it in one.”

“Forrester wants to outbid the elder statesman.”

“You’re a quick one.”

I shook my head. “And you’re not the big bad third option?”

“Me?” Xavier threw back his head. “I’m harmless.”

“Then why are you here?”

He shrugged. “Bored.” He nudged me with his shoulder. “Tell you a secret?”

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